Thread: My first build. 1955 Chevy Panel Truck Bagged

Tweet

I sort of did an intro earlier, but I guess I do a quick summary here before I start the thread. I have been on the HAMB for a long time, I love traditional hotrods, and I really like the guys there, but my current build may be getting a little O/T for them, so I thought I'd start one here. Most of this will be copy/paste from the HAMB.




1955 First Series Chevy Panel Truck

I have been working on this truck for a few years now, but the sites that I have been using so far either provide me very little feedback or the feedback I get is useless because I know more than everyone else on that particular site. Truth be told, I don't know jack. This is my first build; I've never done anything this extreme. I have made a million mistakes already and have a few million more to make.

The reason I am posting here is because I want ideas, suggestions, and even warnings. I'm posting what I have done so far and I'll keep posting on this thread as I keep working on the truck.

I'll post pictures in order if at all possible. Other pictures are at http://www.cardomain.com/ride/314556...nel-van/page-3


Feel free to ask questions and throw advice at me!


The day I "found" it. Paid $500.






I knew I wanted it bagged but I had very little money to spend. So, I decided to use an S10 frame.






Then I tore the truck to hell:






Got the truck on top of the frame and lined everything up before making mounts:





I eventually got an engine out of an 86 Chevy (turned out it was worthless), but it let me cut up the floor and firewall and put a new one in:





I cut out the flooring that was no good anymore. Here's what I had left:

Almost finished firewall:







I didn't want a super pretty firewall. I plan on this being my daily driver, and I'm sure the engine will get pulled at least 20 more times before I'm happy with it, so I decided to go with a Gator Guard II coat.







The engine out of the 86 had bad crank bearings and want worth the rebuild. I got an 89 TBI 350 from a friend of mine for $300. Came with computer, harness, all accessories, fuel tank, and fuel pump. He's a good friend.






The gas tank I got was way too big, so I had to chop it up a little. Thanks to the H.A.M.B. I was able to get some advice on how to take care of that.






Ok, here I ran into a problem with the new engine. The position on the power steering pump majorly interfered with the lines coming from the steering box.




I found a smaller pulley that worked perfect. If anyone else needs to know, it's for a 91 Grand Prix 3.1 engine.

Here are a few videos of the truck:

Fuel tank is sealed and in place. I'm going in town in a little while to get some straps for it. Fuel lines are almost run all the way, just a little more to go.




I've been messing with this engine for a while and haven't had much luck. I figure since I was trying to use a computer I wired something up wrong when I installed everything. Just yesterday I decided to look under the distributor cap... the pickup coil was destroyed. Instead of messing with it piece by piece, I decided to go ahead and replace the whole thing. No point in putting good parts on crappy equipment.

Bad pickup coil:








I solved and created a few new problems. First off, I picked up a new exhaust manifold from a junk yard for my driver side. This one stays out of the way for my steering shaft, so I'm thrilled with it.




Next, I traded an old engine block for a tilt steering column. It even has the same plugs as my wire harness, so it's literally plug and play. Again, couldn't be happier with it.



Now on to my new/old problem. I've started picking up some steering shaft parts but I'm at a bit of a loss right now. My new steering column sits a little lower than the previous one, so now my angle is even more extreme than before.


I finished the steering (I think), but I'd like you guys to look at it for flaws. I raised my column up 3 inches to keep the angle from being so extreme and then I was able to use my steering shaft that I had, it just needed to be lengthened a little. So here's that and a video of it working:




I also finished the throttle pedal. It looks sloppy, but it works. I'll make everything look pretty eventually.

It's ALIVE! Sort of... found out good and bad. For some reason the transmission does not shift properly, and I never even heard it get past 1st gear and reverse.





Like I said, first time around went great... now to tattle on myself... The reason my second attempt around the block failed was because my 2 link perches were not welded in place yet.... I wanted to do it later when I made up my mind about my rear end. Anyway, second trip when I took the RPM's up enough to engage 1st gear, it caught pretty hard and rotated the rear axle a little. That caused my U joint to break. I put a patch on it and got it back into the garage after about an hour.










Ok, so here's the short list of what I got done today; I replaced the water pump, I got the radiaitor installed on it's side, I hooked up the tranny cooler, and I made the front of the s10 frame look a little prettier. For those that were wondering if my radiator was going to fit, well it did, but holy hell it was close! And for anyone that thinks I'm being a cheap ass for doing it this way, you're damn right! And that's actually not the worst of it.... I forced my existing radiator hoses to work.... The top one got chopped and turned around, the lower one got cut in half and then reconnected with a pipe to make it fit.... Oh yeah, I'm cheap. Anyway, I'll replace the crap stuff later, but it'll work great for my next test drive.

Starting with the pump:
Old:





My new radiator mount:




And the mount with the radiator installed:
It's ghetto with a hint of class... Sort of like a hobo with a top hat...





Oh yes, it sit VERY low:







I ordered a couple of cheap gauges from Speedway Motors so I can keep an eye on oil pressure and engine temp for my next test drive. If I didn't have the oil pressure gauge, I know I would have had a bad oil pump; that'd be just my luck.

Why yes, that is the coolest gauge panel you have ever seen! The gauge panel is just a temporary fix. I plan to get much nicer gauges as well, I just couldn't justify the money on the ones I want until I'm actually ready for them.




I had to clear out the garage the other day to work on my dad's "new" 81 Corvette. I'm pretty sure I gave my neighbors a whole new reason to hate me. I left the truck outside most of the day. I was pretty excited when the guy driving by in his Prius was glaring at me.

My semester just ended, so I've done a few things over the last week. I cleaned up my firewall engine harness. I have everything, including battery, starter, and alternator, going through the firewall by two harnesses. I'm excited about this because it will make pulling the motor in and out a breeze. Wiring on the inside of the cab is still pretty sloppy; I haven't decided how I want to mount my fuse box.


Before:




Three hours, two rolls of electrical tape, and one roll of solder later, my firewall looks... slightly less crappy...
After:






I also built my battery box tonight. I still need to make a lid for it, but it can wait...






I have a few projects this month for some customers, so I moved the truck off to the side of the garage. I realized that it hadn't been there in about 3 years, so I took a before and after shot:



In other news, I should have my new transmission next month. I have no idea what is wrong with mine, and I'm out of ideas. The truck stalls out in first and reverse, whether I'm on the gas or not. It makes moving the truck a royal pain. I'll be putting in a TH350, so I'll have to redo my tranny mount and get a new driveshaft... all of which I'm thrilled about.





Alright well, that puts me up to date with my HAMB build thread. I'm looking forward to getting to know you guys and seeing what all this site has to offer!

I just kind of skimmed thru it but for a first build I think you are doing pretty darn good.

Nice job on the panel

i don't understand the radiator ??????

Hahaha, yeah... that radiator... you missed a good story on another forum. There was a huge debate about whether or not I could run it on it's side. I really didn't want to buy a new one, and I had one from a 90 Chevy. There is an inline fill at the top now, I didn't post that picture here yet, but you can kinda see it in a picture of the firewall harness. So far I've only run the temp up to 225. I didn't think that was too bad since I'm just running water for right now.

"...... you missed a good story on another forum. There was a huge debate about whether or not I could run it on it's side....."

That should have been interesting. I had some scoffers PI (Pre Internet) when I did the same thing with a brass/copper radiator cross flow I built for a 58 Chevy sedan. They use a tall narrow radiator and finding one to fit that that was useable was not working out. Worked great for 15 years and 75,000 miles.

The build does show a lot of creativity....but I'll ask the same question I've asked a lot of first time builders over the years, what's the big hurry??? I still take my time on a build, think each action through, and enjoy the process of the build rather then just hurry through, then come back to do it correct later on... I do understand the urge to get it done and drive it, but with so many good ideas as are shown on the truck, why not take the time and finish them with attention to finish and detail, then enjoy the ride. Just my opinion, I guess.

just curious what you will do about overflow ? i've used crossflow's in several tri5 trucks but had room to set them in.

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

what's the big hurry???

It's not really that I'm in a big hurry, it really comes down to making this truck as much of a learning experience as possible while spending as little as possible. Some of the things I have learned include a lot of things that I have done wrong from the beginning that aren't worth the time and effort to go back and correct. This truck isn't exactly my dream car, so I plan to continue learning from it and just turn it into a shop truck. Im already planning out my next project (thinking about either a 37 Plymouth or 39 Buick), and I plan to do that one up perfect, or, as close as I can get it.

But I won't lie, I'm also really eager to get it on the road.

Originally Posted by shine

just curious what you will do about overflow?

The inline fill I have on it has a line for an overflow tank, it's just a matter of adding one.